Do others belive one or the other should be more prominent?
The main character has character flaws they need to address ≠ the movie is telling me the main character is wrong
This is so simple, whyyyyyy
I'd like to see her get worse. To see her lose herself to the dark with redemption out of sight. It would be refreshing in an age where every other character gets redemptions.
Obviously she isn't there yet. As of now, her anger is very much justified, so this should take a while. If the events of this show will last up until after Solo (it better), so a span of about a decade (so that Qi'ra can show up). They can do that thing Andor did and have time skips.
Now at some point, she's going to find out Maul abandoned Daki to die, it's inevitable.
When she finds out, and realigns her revenge, I hope she and Qi'ra maroon Maul on Malachor, and then she becomes the new secret leader of the shadow collective. And in that way, she becomes Mauls legacy whether she reflects over it or not.
(And how neat wouldn't it be to have a member of the species most oppressed by crime in this galaxy take charge of galactic crime, huh?)
Does anyone agree with me? If not, I'd like to know where you want Devons story to go.
And know that I am not the kind of guy who needs big characters to show up in things in order to like them. Hell, I was miffed about the idea of a Maul show to begin with. but... damn it. It was actually as well-executed as >!spybot, Icarus, all the mandalorians including Rook Kast, Master Daki and Brander Lawson!< were.
Oh yeah, spoiler warning.
Of course, there are things I dislike. The references to Son Of Dathomir are kinda neat I suppose, it's good continuity. But am I the only one who just gets really annoyed whenever modern Star Wars things constantly reference events that happened in canned Clone Wars episodes that we never got to properly experience? All it does is remind me that there are 40+ unfinished episodes I will never get to see, and leaves me tossing and turning at night when I have better things to worry about.
The two nightbrothers Scorn and Icarus never really had much character, but this show is kind of packed, and at least they got very memorable death scenes.
Also, if you aren't kneee-deep in Star Wars animation, you just aren't going to get a lot of this show. It's very much one for duh fanz, and will leave new viewers behind in the dust. Though that's a general problem with Star Wars Animation these days, they haven't had a show that worked on its own since Rebels. But I hate Rebels, so blehhh.
And of course, I just can't get behind the redesign of the Pykes. Granted, they look WAY better here than in live action, but I don't get the need to hybridize the designs in the first place when THIS is the medium they originated in. Dude, I just hate the live action Pykes and all acknowledgement of them.
But that's kind of the end of my actual complaints, and it's largely about things out of this shows control.
Again, I was not super hyped on the idea of a Maul show. We know how his story ends, he kinda reached his peak in CW season 7, he's largely uninteresting in Rebels outside of his final duel with Obi-Wan, and watching him rebuild his criminal empire... again, is not something that I was super excited for. But, I am more willing than most to give modern Star Wars a shot, as diamonds can still be found in the rough.
And I think this might be a diamond. A kind of misshapen diamond, yet a diamond nonetheless.
I kinda loved that Maul wasn't in the show as much as was advertised. He's definitely the focal character, it's not some Book Of Boba Fett nonsense where his show gets hijacked by the main character of another show. But the other characters in this show are actually really good on their own.
Devon and Master Daki were great Jedi characters, and I love the direction they are taking Devon in. It's kind of fresh, and I hope they stick with it.
Captain Lawson and his son are also quite likeable, and I enjoyed their side of the story. Is it a little on-the-nose that a police officer has the last name Lawson? Dude, there is a character named Spybot, I think we'll be fine.
Speaking of, the comic relief characters were very well balanced. Vario, Two-Boots and especially Spybot were great, and fit the tone well.
And even Maul gets interesting things to do, like the exploration of his past and abuse by Sidious, and seeing him cry was quite neat. Of all the characters in Star Wars to cry, he wasn't who's expect to. I kind of wish we'd never seen him in Rebels, and that his story instead could have been completed here, but alas. I am not In charge.
I really like that they got the criminal rebuilding plot out of the way fairly quickly. Maul assumes control of the Pykes again at the start of episode 4 (R.I.P Marg Krim, you weren't really anywhere as cool as your predecessor Lom), and then they are done with that for the most part. I did also enjoy seeing Dryden Vos again in the finale, he's a good and underutilized character.
But no, it's when the empire moves in, that's when this show really starts to get good. It takes a similar, though not as in-depth and fascinating approach to the empire here as in Andor. They are actually quite scary here, and part of that is owed to the inquisitors. I never expected to say that.
In every other Star Wars show, the inquisitors are expendable mini-boss villains of the week, and it has taken a toll on their image. There hasn't been a potentially interesting inquisitor since Reva, and there hasn't been an ACTUALLY interesting inquisitor since Trilla. They kinda peaked with the Grand Inquisitor (in rebels). Until now. The two inquisitors in this show rehabilitate the image of the inquisitors as a whole by, guess this: BEING GOOD AT THEIR JOBS. They are intimidating, mysterious, competent against both Maul and the Jedi. We actually get to see them investigate and.. like, perform an actual inquisition. They use actual tactics and their strength as a duo, knowing they aren't as skilled as their opponent. And they are darn tough fighters, and break the mold by actually surviving the show. Is it lessened by us having seen these two die before in anticlimactic ways... uhhhhhh kinda. But for what it's worth this was a good step in the right direction for them.
I also like that this show isn't afraid of killing main characters aside from Maul of course. It brings me back to Clone Wars, where you never knew who would make it of the original characters. Even Spybot, I loved that psychotic little booshkeedoo, and didn't expect him to go.
Then Darth Vader shows up.
Ok... I will be frank. I have Darth Vader fatigue. I kind of hate Darth Vader fans. They are just so whiny and annoying, and they glaze him to death with their awful AI "films" and they make me wish to never see him in anything these days.
But DAMN IT. DAMN DAMN DAMN.
We may not have gotten to see Grievous, Dooku and Maul duke it out in Clone Wars, but at least we have Sidious' first apprentice vs his last. Even I, who don't usually care for that kind of stuff anymore, can't deny how cool this is. I kinda had fun with a Star Wars thing for the first time since Skeleton Crew (Andor season 2 is a phenomenal show, but I wouldn't describe it as fun. Not in the same way, it's a different kind of fun).
I also love that they had the restraint not to use the James Earl Jones AI voice. Please and thank you. Vader wouldn't have anything to say to Maul anyway. The best part is that this appearance actually services the story, not just of Maul, but of Devon. They really made this work.
As for other things, Sam Witwer is great as always, as are the other voice actors. The animation is POPPING, I LOVE that they not only kept the clone wars style around but keep improving on it.
Uh... that's kinda it. I may be a bit burned out on familiar Star Wars characters, but if they keep doing it competently, I'll be happy. Good job, Lucasfilm. 7.5-8/10.
BUT I STILL WOULD HAVE SACRIFICED THIS SHOW, THE BAD BATCH, REBELS, AND ALL THE TALES OF FOR A COMPLETE 8-SEASON CLONE WARS IN THE FIRST PLACE.
This shot from the trailers has yet to appear in the show.
The main reason I think it might've been deleted, is because the model for the unmasked pyke in the center is the same exact one as the captain who got cut in half in episode 2. And his model is different from that of Captain Kalt's.
Of course, in a matter of days we will know. So posting this may have been premature.
